


The Woes of Youth

by Alys_Gay_Parade



Series: Rejuvination [1]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Fountain of Youth, Gen, OC, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-18
Updated: 2015-12-18
Packaged: 2018-05-07 08:39:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5450315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alys_Gay_Parade/pseuds/Alys_Gay_Parade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A child’s emotional capability plus an adult mindset does not a pretty pair make.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Youthful Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mabel spurs a series of events with a little water and adrenaline.

It’s been about a year since the tragedies that Bill invoked, and while the Pines and Fiddleford had been hard at work trying to find a permanent solution to his inevitable return, sometimes there just needs to be days of relaxation. Mabel and Dipper are fighting the summer heat in a water gun war with Soos and Wendy, while Stan, Ford, and Fiddleford are inside, doing their own things. Mabel hides behind a tree, panting, adrenaline coursing through her. She needed to refill soon, or Wendy would win this war. Noticing a small natural spring, she darted over to it, attempting to remain hidden. She refills her weapon, and spots her brother through the trees. He sees Mabel and darts for the shack, out of ammo himself. Mabel follows suit, getting inside and instantly going into stealth mode.

As she creeps through the halls, she hears a footstep behind her, promptly turning and firing in the general vicinity of the person who made it. Fiddleford was knocked over from the the stream of water, taken by surprise. Mabel, looking embarrassed, quickly scampered to the next room to try and find Dipper. She noticed the brim of his hat peeking out from behind the vending machine, and smirked as she threw the secret door open and opened fire at him. Only to realize he’d conned Ford into being a decoy. Ford, holding the hat at about Dipper’s level, used his sleeve to wipe his face, laughing. “Well, Mabel, had that been Dipper, you would’ve gotten him.” As he brought his sleeve down, he was met with Mabel’s look of pure awe. “W-What, do I have something on my face?” He goes to the nearest mirror and finds himself in his late twenties again, blinking in surprise. “Mabel, where did you refill your water gun at?” Mabel, confused beyond belief, just looked at her water canon. “A natural spring in the woods.” The look on Ford’s face lit up and he held his hand out for the toy. “I need to analyze that sample. Did you hit anybody else?” Mabel hesitantly handed it over, biting her lip. “Fiddleford.”

At the sound of Fiddleford yelping in surprise, Ford and Mabel rushed to where he was. He was standing in the bathroom, staring his younger reflection down. Mabel stared at the frightened Fiddleford for a moment before noticing him turn and lock eyes with her uncle. Looking to her family member, she saw how pink his face was and slowly backed away, only for Ford to place his hand on her back and look at her. “Mabel, I need to speak with you alone.” He led her to the lab, where he started to analyze a sample of the water. “Okay, while the machine runs its course, I have a very special request of you. First of all, hit Stan with this, because I’d feel bad if he didn’t get a chance at youth again.” He hands her back the water gun and looks away, face bright pink. “C-Come back down here afterwards. Because I have something to ask that only you can help me with.”

Thoroughly weirded out, Mabel heads back up to the main floor, finding Stan asleep and snoring in front of the tv. She takes aim and ends up not only making the shot into Stan’s mouth, but hitting him in the back of the throat. As he coughs and sputters, Mabel runs back down to the basement, thinking she’d find Ford doing some sort of work. But instead, she finds him next to an old box full of papers, expertly disguised as part of the machinery. He turns, face flushed red, and just hands her the box. As she looked through the papers, she noticed it was mostly crumpled and discarded love notes to Fiddleford, as well as old photos of them from back in their college days. “I… I had a thing for Fidds our whole friendship, but I was never able to tell him. Mostly because it was frowned upon in our days. But… maybe you can help me?” Mable looked up from the letter she had been reading. “Wow, grunkle Ford. And to think, I thought you were incapable of feeling anything for anybody.” She pulled out a particularly crumpled and tear stained paper, seemingly ripped from one of his journals. On it was an emotional letter, confessing some of Fords deepest feelings, ended simply in large handwriting “I’M SORRY FIDDS.” Ford noticed it immediately and snatched it away, feeling those old emotions beginning to well back up. “After he walked out, I was emotionally destroyed. He was the only person who cared about me other than my brother. And just like Lee, I destroyed that relationship. But now, we can have a second chance. And… this is what I want your help with. I’m not good with the whole… ‘romance’ thing. I’m awkward and stiff, and tend to say the exact wrong thing.”

Mabel’s face lit up. This was it. Her chance to bond with Ford. She set the box to the side and cleared her throat. “What you need is lessons in confidence, Grunkle Ford. And I’m a master when it comes to confidence.” She sat him down in a chair and pulled out a paper. “The good thing is that Fiddleford is already your friend, so that’s good.” She starts to write on the paper, seemingly lost in thought for a moment. “Now, your problem is not knowing how he’ll react. So, what I suggest you do is play the secret admirer card. How he reacts will let you know if he is prepared for a relationship.” Mabel pulls out another piece of paper and smirks. “He wouldn’t recognize my handwriting, so I’ll write it out. It’ll say to meet on the hill in the valley. That’s where the UFO is, but if I wrote UFO, it would be really obvious that it was you. Now…. okay, for this to work, you need to be calm and collected. And that face is not calm and collected. It reminds me of Dipper thinking about Wendy.”

Ford sat there, sweat on his brow, eyes wide, and biting his lip. The thought of telling Fidds how he felt was gnawing into his core, and he clutched his stomach, starting to feel nauseous. “What if… what if this ruins the friendship? What if I make things awkward? Oh, god, what if he wants nothing to do with me after I tell him?” Mabel gave his cheek a gentle smack, trying to snap him out of his panic. “That’s why I’m going about it this way. We have no idea how he’ll react. But it’s best to talk to him in a familiar environment, completely alone.” She stands, pulling a pink envelope out of her sweater pocket, and sealing the note inside. “Now, tomorrow, I’m going to slip this into his coat pocket while he isn’t looking. And he’s going to find it. I’ll go with you to the meeting spot, and if you start floundering, you’ll be wearing your mind control tie, and I’ll swoop in and save you if need be.” The smile and look of genuine confidence Mabel gave him filled him with determination. He was going to do this.

As Mabel came upstairs, she was greeted by a much younger Stan. MUCH younger. He was about thirteen, and looked very angry. “Hehe… I…. I guess I overdid it on you, huh?” “Overdid what?!” he yelled, his voice cracking. Stan clapped his hands over his mouth before turning bright red with embarrassment. Being this young, his gruff voice was replaced by that slightly high pitched, weird voice he had as a child. And he hated every second of it. As Stanford came into view, he saw his brother’s state and went into hysterics. He was on the floor laughing, and he couldn’t stop. “M-Mabel, I told you to hit him with the water, not drown him! Ha, H-How’s it going, shortstack?” At that, Stan jumped onto his brother’s shoulders, pulling at his hair and yelling obscenities, all the while, Ford is laughing so hard he’s crying. “Ford, you undo whatever this is, so help me go-OD!” His voice cracks again and he falls onto the ground in his attempt to cover his mouth. Hearing the voice crack caused Ford to laugh even harder, not being able to stand up. Dipper, Wendy, and Soos all came in the front door as Fiddleford came from the hall to see Mabel standing between the two as they laughed and screamed. This was going to be interesting, to say the least.

\--------

Fiddleford was calm now, and getting used to his younger, more sane mind again. He had been out on a walk through town when Mabel slipped the note in his pocket, and when he came into the shack, he was greeted by glass shattering and Stan wincing in the kitchen. Ford walked into the room to see his brother sitting in a mess of broken glass, bleeding from the arm and promptly sighed, pulling out the first aid kit. “Luckily, it doesn’t need stitches. You really should just ask me to grab things for you, Lee.” He applied a band-aid and helped him up before beginning to clean up the shattered plate. Stan was not happy with this circumstance at all. Customers didn’t take him seriously, he was in an awkward stage of life that he hated, and now his twin was effectively acting as an older brother. “I shouldn’t have to ask for anything! I shouldn’t be a kid! I should be the same age as you! This whole thing is really upsetting and I just…” Stan tried to punch a hole in the wall, but only hurt his fist instead. “I’m just glad I’m not any younger. I probably would have started crying at that.” Dipper comes into the room and puts a and on his shoulder. “Noodle arms aren’t so bad. Hey, you’re small enough to get into nools and crannies on your own now!” Ford bit his lip, attempting not to laugh. Seeing his brother in this state was hilarious to him, and the thought of his brother being completely incompetent and needing his help gave him a huge ego boost.

Mabel came into the room and grabbed Ford’s wrist, pulling hm down to whisper to him. “Fiddleford is about to find the note, let’s see how he reacts.” As they peek into the front room, Fiddleford notices the pink envelope in his coat pocket and pulls it out. He opens the note and reads it aloud. Mabel felt proud of how she worded it, having taken words straight from Ford’s discarded love letters. _“A beautiful sunflower which stretches toward the sun, your petals reflect the light and brighten my gloomy world. I have words that I long to share, but cannot bring myself to do so in the light you bathe yourself in. I wish for you to meet me at the highest point of the valley at midnight, to let the starlight keep me calm as I proclaim my love for you. With love, your secret admirer…”_ Ford was having a hard time keeping himself composed as Fiddleford read the note aloud, hearing words he’d written and thrown away time and time again be finally shared. His heart was pounding as he saw Fiddleford’s face flush a deep red, and he swallowed the lump in hit throat. Mabel put on her game face and looked to the people behind her. “Watch and learn boys. This is confidence and matchmaking at work.”

She runs out and smiles happily, eyes bright. “Oh, wow, Fiddleford! Who knew that your first day being young again would attract somebody? And they were so poetic… are you going to go see them?” Fiddleford rubs the back of his neck before giving a light laugh. “You know what? Yeah, I am. I mean, I haven’t felt up for romance since my wife left me… but now I have more opportunities. I…” His expression went from playful and embarrassed to one of pure panic. “I have no idea what I should wear. O-Or if I have anything suitable. I-” Mabel ran and grabbed Dipper, pushing him forward. “Dip can help you pick something out. Don’t worry. Just head to your room, and Dipper will be in to help you.” Fiddleford ran off and Mabel pulled Dipper back over to Ford. “Okay, Dip, I need you to keep him distracted, as well as get him romance fit.” She hands him a list from her pocket before turning to Ford. “All you have is that beat up old sweater and the sweater I gave you. I am taking you out to get an outfit that’s worthy of confessing in.”

Stan just stared at the three of them, confused beyond belief. “Excuse me, am I missing something here?” Mabel turned to Stan, who was slightly shorter than her in this state. “Ford has had a thing for Fiddleford since they were in college. This confession is a long time overdue, and he personally asked me to help him.” Stan looked at Ford’s completely embarrassed face before he started to laugh. “It makes so much sense now! Renovating the house, inviting Fiddlestick to live in the spare room, how gentle you were around him when we were old- you’re completely in love with him! Oh, if Dad could see you now. His precious meal ticket being one of the very things he hated most!” Ford lost his temper and knocked Stan in the head, causing his brother to be slightly dizzy from the impact. “Stan, don’t be a dick about this! You saying shit like that makes my insecurities worse!” He composed himself, seeing that Mabel went back to instructing her brother. “Just make sure he’s got everything on that list down. Get him as close to perfect as possible. I have to deal with Mr. Insecure over here. He’s got a lot of work in him.” Dipper nodded and went upstairs, leaving Mabel to work with Ford. “We can’t leave Stan by himself or he’ll get hurt, so he’ll have to go with us. First stop is the mall to get you to look the part.”

Mabel walked through the mall with Ford, who had Stan on a child leash. Stan, unsurprisingly, was livid. “Is this really necessary? This is humiliating!” Mabel snorted a bit, keeping her gaze away. “You’ll run off and cause havoc if we don’t do this. Just deal with it, Stan.” Ford was about to make a smart comment when an old lady stopped them. “Oh, sir, your children are adorable.” Ford immediately became flustered and began to correct her, seeing how angry Stan was becoming. “N-No, this is my brother and our niece. I-I’ve never even had a girlfriend.” The woman looked down at Stan and smiled before handing Ford her number. “My name is Carla McCorkle. I’m very good with kids, so if you ever need anybody to look after this little squirt, let me know.” As she walked away, there was a stunned silence from them before Stan let out an aggravated groan. “Ugh, she knows! She knows it’s me! Quick, get me out of here! I need a soda! I need something to calm me down.” He felt so embarrassed and upset at this whole series of events, and Mabel just gave his head a couple soft pats. “We won’t be long. Don’t worry about it.”

It took a few hours of trying on clothes before Mabel was satisfied. Ford insisted on wearing his coat, so she decided to work his outfit around it. And she was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. The time until confession after that was spent boosting Ford’s morale. Or, at least, attempting to. He was so nervous, he kept bumping into things and generally was not having the beast time coping. So when the time drew near, they stood in the trees near the meting place, and Ford’s heart was pounding in his ears. “I don’t know if I can do this, Mabel. What if he rejects me? I wouldn’t be able to handle that right now.” Mable gives him a tight hug and adjusts his tie slightly. She gave him one last look over, just to make sure he was ready. Under his coat, he wore a dress shirt, the tie, some nice slacks, and a new pair of shoes. His hair was nice and brushed out, but still just a tad messy. They’d gone and replaced the lens in his glasses, so they weren’t cracked. As she looked him over, she took a deep breath and handed him a rose. “When he shows up over the hill, just walk up there and hand it to him. Pour your heart out. Tell him how you honestly feel. I know you can do this. I’ll step in if I need to, but I honestly don’t think you’ll need my help.” Stanford turned and saw the man of his dreams appear over the hill. Clad in practically the same outfit, just sporting a blazer, the wind ruffled Fiddleford’s hair and tugged at his clothing. Ford took a deep breath, preparing himself for the emotional torture he was going to be put through.

Fiddleford looked at his watch, noting it was midnight on the dot. He saw a figure start moving out from the treeline, and his heart started pounding. There was no way he could handle this. He was Fiddleford Hadron McGucket. He was a big, dorky, clumsy oaf. But as he saw the figure get closer, and noticed it was Stanford, his heat started to beat harder. There was no way. But here he was, hands behind his back, looking nervous as ever. As Ford finally reached him, Fiddleford could practically feel the waves of emotion washing off of the other man.“H-Hey, Fidds…” Ford’s face was bright pink, and he looked like he was having a hard time even breathing. Fiddleford just gave him a look of surprise, but feared speaking. Ford decided to fill the silence.

“Fiddleford, I… I know this seems really, really out of the blue, but-” Something sparked within him, and his feelings began to pour out. “I’ve loved you since we first met. It took me a long time to realize it, and when I did, I couldn’t say a single thing. Because every time I looked into those beautiful eyes of yours, or saw that exquisite smile, or just heard that intoxicating voice, I felt so stupid. I felt stupid for thinking that somebody as perfect as you would love… somebody as detached and weird as me.” He looked away and took a deep breath before holding out the rose, face bright red from embarrassment. “I… I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to do it all over. And I want it to be with you by my side. I’ve been stupid and stubborn, but if there’s one thing you’ve taught this idiot through the years… it’s how to love.”

Fiddleford took the rose gently, eyes sparkling. He’d never seen Ford this sincere. And to see that emotion in his eyes… something twisted within him. He felt a tear go down his face, suddenly overcome with emotion. He brought a hand to his mouth, just looking at the red petals of the rose that was given to him. “S-Stanford… I…” He had no idea how to respond, but he knew that he wanted this. So when Ford brought him close and kissed him, Fiddleford kissed back. Theyy stayed like that for a moment before they parted, and Fiddleford looked down at Ford, starry eyed and silent. Ford held his hand and smiled softly. “L-Let’s go home, Fidds…”

Mabel kicked the door of the shack open, startling everybody. Wendy and Soos were there to see the results of the matchmaking, and Stan had decided to stay awake to see how his brother did. “Introducing: The new pair of the century~! Fiddauthor~!” Ford and Fidds walked in, linking arms. Stanford laughed nervously and gritted his teeth, smiling. “Mabel, that’s embarrassing, please don’t call us that.” Dipper sighed, relieved that all the work he’d spent with Fiddleford had payed off. Wendy and Soos cheered, congratulating them on finally getting their feelings out there. Stan walked over to his brother, motioning him to get down to his level. He punched him in the arm and smirked. “Great job, Sixer. I knew you had it in you.” Ford grabbed Stan by the back of his shirt and lifted him up, laughing at how pitiful he looked as he squirmed. “Yeah. I’m proud of myself, too. Now, you’re just a kid and need your sleep. Go on. Get to bed, all three of you.” After the kids and Stan went to bed and the others left, Ford just slumped into a chair, exhausted. “Fidds… thanks.” “For what, Ford?” Fiddleford sat down across from him at the table, a lighthearted smile on his face. “Everything. For being in my life. For coming back. Forgiving me…” Fiddleford reached over and held his hand. “I’ll never leave your side again, Stanford. That’s a promise.”


	2. Stormy Weather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stan Fears a bad summer storm that stirs up.

“Okay, you two. Make sure my brother doesn’t get himself killed.” Stanford and Fiddleford were grabbing their coats as he said this, looking down at Mabel and Dipper. It was their first date since the confession, and he was hoping that the twins could keep Stanley out of trouble so he could enjoy the night with his boyfriend. Stan was standing between the two other kids, still unhappy about his now smaller stature, glaring at the ground. Ford noticed his pout and just sighed, kneeling down to his level. “Listen, Lee, I know things feel weird. You’re thirteen again. You have to relive the hell that is puberty. Your hormones are probably all over the place. You’re feeling insecure. But trust me, it’ll be okay, alright?” Stan turned his gaze away, looking upset. He wouldn’t admit that he was actually afraid of everything right now. He wasn’t used to feeling so small when he used to be so big and intimidating. He felt vulnerable to pretty much everything. Ford hugged him and stood, taking Fiddleford’s hand. “We’re just going out for dinner and a movie. We should be back around midnight. Don’t stay up too late, and for the love of god, keep Stan out of the sugar. I remember how he got at this age.”

As the door closed, Stanley just sighed and looked down, masking his fear with frustration. Dipper put an arm over his shoulders and decided to try and cheer him up. “Come on, Stan. It’s not that bad. You’re a kid again! You’ve gotten what most people only dream of. No responsibilities, a loving family, I mean, now Ford can return the favor by making sure you’re emotionally secure.” Mabel hugged Stan tightly, lifting him into the air and cracking his back. “Yeah, and you’re also tiny and adorable~! Like a kitten~!” Stan managed to squirm free, feeling very uncomfortable. “That’s exactly why I’m upset! I don’t want Ford looking after me. I don’t want to be tiny. I… I just want to be needed, not be a burden.” A few tears came to his eyes as he said that, and the twins looked to one another before gently hugging their uncle. “It’s going to be okay, Stan. We’re all here for you.”

Stan was watching tv while Mabel was cooking and Dipper was doing laundry. Outside, a summer storm had blown in, being very windy and rain hitting the ground. The occasional sound of thunder could be heard, and Stan began to worry about Ford and Fidds, hoping nothing happens to them. There was a loud creaking sound in the distance, and the power suddenly cut out, the house going pitch black. Stan let out an audible squeak of surprise, looking around the darkness in fear. “Ouch, for the love of- DIPPER, BRING ME A FLASHLIGHT. I NEED TO GET THE FIRST AID KIT.” Mabel stood in the kitchen, holding her hand. She’d been cutting veggies when the lights went out and startled her, causing her to cut herself. Dipper ran in with a light and the medical kit, Stan beside him. “Here, Stan, just hold this so I can see what I’m doing and help her.” Stan took the flashlight while Dipper carefully bandaged his sister’s hand, sighing. As he finished, he took the light again and went to look outside. He wished he hadn’t.

The thunder had turned to straight lightning, and he could see the trees around them bending in the hard gusts of wind. Stan peeked out into the woods and felt very small, as if those trees could fall and crush him any second. Dipper just cursed under his breath and closed the door again. “Power’s probably out for the whole town. And Ford told me that the elevator to the lab is not working right now, so I can’t get to the backup generator.” He saw Stan’s terrified expression and smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure Ford and Fiddleford are alright. You shouldn’t worry so-” Dipper’s words of encouragement were cut off as the three huddled together, startled by the sound of lightning right above them. “I don’t like being out here in the woods with this storm,” Stan admitted, shaking, “It scares me.” Mabel held him close, shushing him, before looking to Dipper. She was pretty terrified herself, and Dipper needed to think of a solution fast. “Okay, first thing is first, we need to get away from the trees. They look like they’re having a hard time holding up against the wind. Plus, lightning could start a forest fire.”

He grabbed heavy jackets for all of them and made sure he had the key to the golf cart before they went outside. The strong wind almost knocked the three over, but they managed to get to the golf cart and start driving, occasionally feeling the wind pick it up a bit when it went under the canopy. Stan’s emotions were everywhere, and he was mortified. He wanted Ford there. He wanted his now older brother to be holding him. He wanted to feel safe. This wasn’t feeling safe. Another strong gust blew and lifted the cart a good two feet off the ground, causing all three children to scream in terror. Dipper managed to regain control as they landed again, wanting to get to town as quickly as possible. Stan was crying now. He couldn’t hide his fear, Maybe if Ford was there. But he wasn’t. And that made him even more scared. Mabel held him in the back seat, trying to keep him calm as Dipper drove.

“We’re almost there!” Dipper yelled over the wind, looking back at his family. He didn’t notice the tree falling in front of them, and Mabel reached forward and grabbed the wheel, sharply turning and causing them to veer to the right. The cart tipped over, and the tree fell on the top half of the cart, narrowly missing them. Dipper unbuckled himself and went to his sister and uncle, making sure they were okay. Mabel was shaken, but otherwise okay. Stan was hyperventilating and quietly begging for his brother. The pure fear in the boy’s eyes caused the twins looking after him to tear up a bit. Dipper helped them both up and looked around. “Okay, the town is only a short walk away. Then we can start looking for Ford and Fiddleford.” They each took one of Stan’s hands, trying to keep him calm.

They walked out onto the main road to see the panic ensuing. Various trees had fallen, knocking out power lines and hitting buildings. A fire had started somewhere nearby, indicated by the plume of smoke rising into the air. Wendy and Soos were driving when they had to get out and noticed them. “Dudes, what are you doing out here?” Dipper was trying desperately to stay collected. “The power is out, we couldn’t go into the basement, and so we came out here. But it doesn’t look like things are much better. Wendy sighed, looking at the chaos. "Yeah. It’s kinda crappy on this end. I think a state of emergency was put into effect. I don’t know how this situation could get any worse.” As she finished that sentence, the ground began to tremble. More trees began to fall, the quake giving them enough leeway to be pushed over. The five of them ran for cover, hiding wherever they could until the ground quit shaking. Stan was sobbing and trembling, wishing they could find his brother. Almost like an answer to his prayers, a familiar voice could be heard over the wind. “Stan! Mabel! Dipper!” Ford and Fidds ran over to the three, hugging them and sighing in relief. “Thank God you three are okay.” They were pretty beaten up, clothes a bit tattered and looking a little charred. “We were in the theater when the power went out. It was being used as a safe house until the fire started. I honestly for a moment that we weren’t going to make it out of there.”

A cracking filled the air, and Ford looked up to see a tree falling right for them. He pushed Fidds and the kids out of the way just before the tree was able to land on them. As the dust cleared, the four of them groaned and started to squint through it, in a stunned silence. The tree top that had fallen was bent and cracked in the spot where it had landed on Ford, and for a moment, it felt as though the world stopped turning. Stan looked at his brother’s unmoving body, and a panic began to set in. “S-Sixer…?” He crawled forward, tears welling up. “Ford, wake up, this isn’t funny…” His voice shook from the tears beginning to fall. “Stanford, wake up!!” He began to sob as he hugged Ford, praying for there to be any way that he made it. He felt Ford’s shallow heartbeat and instantly started to move the fallen tree off of his brother. Fiddleford and the others, also panicked and in tears, began to help, eventually getting Ford out from under the wood.

Ford’s eyes opened slowly to see his family looking down at him, all terrified and crying. He gave a weak laugh. “I’m fine…. I can move… it’ll take more than a tree to take me down.” He sat up, sore from the tree falling, and Fiddleford slapped him across the face. Hard. “Stanford Filbrick Pines, you idiot! Do you have any idea how scared we all were?” Stan just lightly punched his brother and tried to calm down. “I thought we lost you for a sec!” Dipper sighed, hugging his uncle. “I almost had a heart attack.” Mabel just rubbed her face, groaning. “Do we need to put you in bubble wrap armor? Or just put you in a protective bubble? We will.” Ford smiled at all of them as they hugged him tightly. He then noticed that the wind and rain had died down, and when he looked up, the clouds were beginning to part, showing the stars.

Luckily the shack was intact, and Ford was carrying his brother upstairs. Stan had refused to let go of him since they got him out of the tree mess. And he was fine with that. “Ford… I was scared,” Stan admitted to him, tears flowing. “I thought you were dead for a second. I don’t know what I would have done.” Ford just set Stan in bed and smiled, kissing the top of his head. “Well, I’m alive. Although, I do hurt all over. I’m not going anywhere, Lee.” Stan smiled wide and yawned, all of the day’s emotions causing him to be exhausted. He let his head sink into his pillows and sleep claimed him quickly. Ford sighed and tucked his brother in before getting up and walking to the door. He stopped and looked back at the small lump in the bed with a smile. “Now go to sleep. And try not to worry about me. I won’t leave your side.”


	3. An Eventful Outing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sick and exhausted Stanford tries to have a relaxing outing with his brother.

The power hadn’t been back for more than a few hours before Ford, Fiddleford, and Dipper were in the lab, combining their brain power to continue their research. Stanford had a feeling that the storm and the earthquake were not natural occurrences. Bill was behind them, he could just feel it. He was overlooking some of the data gathered over the week of waiting for power to return when he felt somebody small standing right by him. Ford turned and looked down to see his brother. He let out a frustrated sigh. It was three in the morning, and he was already dealing with one child refusing to go to bed. Although, Dipper was a different story. He was helping. Ford picked Stan up and looked him in the eye. “Stan, it’s been a week. Are you still having nightmares?” Stan just silently nodded, and Ford’s expression softened. “Fidds, Dipper, you two keep working. I have to deal with this.”

He set his brother in his bed again, tucking him in. “Stan, I know you’re scared. To be honest… I am too. I haven’t gotten any sleep since the storm, and it’s affecting my research.” He sighed and saw an old teddy bear on the book shelf, grabbing it and watching as his brother, slowly losing the security and fearlessness of his adulthood, reached out for it and held it close. Ford suddenly realized how scared he must have been their whole childhood, always looking after Ford and making sure he didn’t do anything stupid. “Stan… you feel less and less like that strong guy you became every day, don’t you?” Stan just silently nodded again, emotions all over the place. Stanford just pet his brother’s hair and sighed. “Hey, listen to me. You spent our whole childhood making sure that I was okay. And now it’s my turn. I will protect you. We will get through this, Lee. Because we’re brothers. And even though it doesn’t seem like it to those on the outside, we’re twins. We’re in this together, until the very end.” He notices Stan’s small smile and stands, stretching. “Please, just get some rest. I’ll figure this all out.”

Stan woke just a few hours later from another nightmare, the only images he could remember being Ford’s lifeless form and Bill’s laughter. He jumps out of bed and bolts out of the room, only to be stopped by Mabel. “Woah, calm down, Stan! Where’s the fire…?” He sits there, trying to breathe normally, the adrenaline from his nightmare fading. “I-I just had a bad dream. That’s all. Nothing big,” he lied, wiping the tears in his eyes. Mabel saw through his facade almost instantly. “I won’t ask, but lying about things won’t help any. Come on, Fiddleford’s making breakfast.” As Stan walked into the kitchen, he was greeted by Dipper and Ford asleep, heads on the table. The smell of pancakes wafted by him as Fiddleford set breakfast on the table. Upon seeing the two asleep, he just groaned, going and getting coffee for both of them. Mabel and Stan sat beside their brothers, gently prodding them. Ford slowly opened his eyes and saw Fiddleford’s face as he came back into the room. “Stanford, you haven’t gotten a wink of sleep since the storm. You need to take a break from research. We all do.”

Dipper groggily sat up, sipping his coffee and sighing. “Yeah, but Bill’s getting stronger. And we need to find a way to get rid of him permanently.” Ford nodded, a sheepish smile spreading as Fiddleford gave him a stern look. “Stanford Filbrick Pines. You are going to rest if it is the last thing I do. I know stopping Bill is important, but what will we do if we’re all so tired that we can’t even stand.” Stan looked up to his brother, giving an small smile. “He’s right, Ford. Y-You really need to relax a bit… it’s not healthy for you to be so occupied by this.” Ford gave a loud groan and started to eat his pancakes, a disgruntled expression on his face. “Yeah, but what if he comes back and we’re not prepared? What if-” Mabel leaned over the table and placed a hand on Ford’s mouth, a very angry expression on her face. “Now I see where Dipper’s getting all this. The same words have been coming out of his mouth every single time I tell him to go to sleep. Well, this stops now. You are both banned from the lab for the day!” Dipper and Ford gave hurt expressions, feeling their hearts shatter. They hang their heads as Fiddleford sighs and drags Ford off.

Out of the room, he gently caresses his boyfriend’s face, letting a small smile form on his own. “Ford, listen to me. I love you, and I’m just trying to look out for you…” Looking at him close up, he saw how tired Ford was, dark circles under his eyes and seemingly paler. He moved his hand up to Ford’s forehead, feeling a distinct heat radiating. “Oh, Ford, honey… you’re sick…” Ford turned his gaze away. He knew for a couple days that he’d been sick. He’d been pushing through the dreary feelings and nausea so he could try to figure things out. He felt a jolt of surprise in him as Fiddleford wrapped his arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. “Stanford, please… for me and the kids… just get some rest and relaxation today. You’ve been working so hard. You deserve it.” Ford hugged back, losing himself in his love’s embrace. “Right. I’ll relax a bit. Maybe spend some time with Lee.”

After breakfast, Ford caught Stan and smiled a bit. “Hey, buddy. Wanna spend the day with me?” Stan smiled widely, happy Ford was paying attention to him. “Hell yeah, I wanna spend time with my bro! Come on!” Stan grabbed his brother’s hand and started to drag him off outside. “Mabel and I were just walking yesterday while you were down in the lab, and found something amazing! I’ve seen lots of weird stuff since I moved here, but this really takes the cake!” Ford smiled at Stan’s more childlike personality. It seemed the age transition was starting to take root emotionally, too. He felt it, himself. The hardened shell he’d formed in his later years was slowly melting. He let Stan drag him along, occasionally stopping. He was feeling a little under the weather, with his fever and all, but Stan wanted his attention. And, by god, he was going to get it.

As they approached their destination, Stan stood in front of a large clump of bushes that were seemingly growing up the side of a tree. He took a deep breath, composing himself, before walking into the brush, beckoning his brother to follow. Ford, a smile on his face, did just that, and felt a strange feeling wash over him as he entered the cavern that had been hidden. It was fairly well lit at the entrance, but just beyond them was masked in shadow, pitch black. Ford felt a small inkling of paranoia creeping up his back, and noticed Stan pull out a flashlight from the bag he’d brought with him. Ford grabbed Stan’s hand, not wanting to get separated in the unknown cavern.

As they traversed the dark, Ford’s paranoia was ever growing. Along the walls were cave paintings, much like the ones where he’d originally summoned Bill. But these, he could tell, were a much more sinister and gruesome breed. Tellings of death and betrayal, of a massive disaster. Images depicting warnings to the future. Stan led him down a fork in the path, and Ford felt his anxiety beginning to well up further. The paintings were accompanied now by separate writings. They were in a language that Ford had picked up within the portal, which he now firmly believed was a lost tongue in this dimension.  _Turn back now!_ _Don’t make my mistake… heed the warnings._  What made things worse was that these words were smeared and written in what was more than likely dried blood.

“Lee, maybe we should leave…” Stan turned and gave his brother a disheveled look. “But… But we haven’t even gotten to the thing I was talking about.” Ford took a deep breath and let the child lead him further into the abyss. He wished he hadn’t. The room that was at the end of the cavern held symbolism that screamed Bill Cipher worship. These people had obviously considered him a god, and this must have been their place of worship. Ford walked around the nearly perfectly circular room, looking over the glyphs on the wall. Connecting them with the paintings outside and at the Cipher ruins, Ford was piecing together a tragic series of events, and realizing how history was repeating itself. He heard shuffling behind him, seeing Stan picking up a slab from the floor, the writing on it easily recognizable for him. That was a talisman of some kind, one specifically for sealing weak spots in the dimensional fabric. “Stan, wait-!”

The room began to shake, and Ford ran forward, grabbing his brother and running toward the mouth of the cave. He was stopped short, because the tremor had caused a cave in. “No!” He began to try and move the rubble, but it was no use. They were trapped. He noticed Stan crying slightly. “W-What happened?” his brother asked, trying hard to not completely break down. Ford managed to keep his composure and sat beside Stan, hugging him. “Lee, first of all, I want you to know that none of this is your fault. You were just curious. But that slab you picked up back there was a sealing talisman, albeit a very primitive one compared to the ones I’m used to seeing.” He shined the flashlight around, looking for loose rubble he could start digging at. “That room back there looked like it was once a shrine to Bill. And these cave paintings are telling a story that I’m going to try to prevent.”

Eventually, Ford stood, fear creeping through him. He began to try moving more rocks, but found that his exhaustion and sickness was starting to affect him. “Lee, I need you to do me a big favor and-” He was cut off by Stan’s suddenly distant call for help.  "Stanley?!“ FOrd ran in the direction of his brother’s voice, seeing that he was nowhere near him. Upon returning to the room, he found the talisman shattered on the ground and the room now completely different, now a mass of tunnels, leaving many possibilities as to where Stan could be. A chill ran up his spine as he heard Bill’s voice echo through the tunnels.

"Gee, Six Fingers. Didn’t think I’d see you again so soon. I have your sweet baby brother. I might give him back alive if you find us in time. Tick tock, Fordsie.” Ford didn’t hesitate and began to run down a random tunnel. It winded around and eventually, he found his way back to the room he started. Confused, he went back through and came in through a different opening into the same room. Breathing heavy from running, he shined his light around. There had to be a way to find them. Then he heard it. Stan’s cry of pain. His brotherly instincts kicked in and he followed the voice, eventually coming to a room made of Bill’s nightmare magic. Suspended in the center was Stan’s small frame, bleeding from a gash in his back. Bill floated behind him, a seemingly playful look in his eye. “Oh, boo. You found me. I guess I’ll just give the kid back, then.” Stan was launched forward into Ford’s arms, a crying mess. Bill’s eye lit up as he laughed, causing a small fear to run through Ford. “Have fun, Fordsie.”

Ford woke with a shock, still within the shrine room. Bits of rubble from the roof of the cavern littered the ground, two very distinctly large ones beside him and where Stan sat, holding his back. He still sported the wound from Bill’s nightmare, and that fact alone worried Ford to no end. He picked his brother up and felt him cling on for dear life, fear coursing through him and causing him to shake. “Shh, it’s okay, Lee… let’s get you home and patched up.” He walked through the cave and out into daylight with a strange calmness. He’d never really felt this level of fear before. It left him wondering just how powerful Bill actually was, and wondering what exactly this town’s history is.

As he walked into the shack, he was greeted by shocked glances at Stan’s injured state. He just pushed everybody aside and went to grab his first aid kit. As he removed Stan’s shirt, he saw how bad the damage actually was. “This is going to need stitches. Luckily, I’m licensed to do this kind of thing.” He got his supplies ready, and began the process of disinfecting and closing up the gash. He gently shushed and reassured Stanley as he let out little sobs and whimpers of pain. Soon enough, Ford had it all stitched up and started to bandage it. “There we go, Lee… you’re okay. You’re going to be fine, I promise.” He laid his brother in bed and carefully tucked him in before walking out into the hall, confronted by Fiddleford.

“Stanford, what the hell happened to you two?” Fiddleford’s voice was filled with fear and concern, and Ford could only sigh and relay the events of their outing. Fiddleford turned and stepped away, hiding the face of worry that had formed. “Ford, this is bad. This is very bad. This means that Bill isn’t as contained as we thought he was. And now, he’s angry and willing to actually hurt us.” Ford sighed, looking to his feet. His vision began to cloud, exhaustion taking hold. He stumbles slightly, Fiddleford catching him before he falls. “Easy now, honey… you’ve had a rough day… you need to lay down.” Ford blushes slightly at how lovingly Fiddleford is to him. He honestly felt like he didn’t deserve somebody so gentle and caring. Fiddleford helped him to their room, watching with a concerned gaze as Ford laid himself down. “Just get some rest. I’ll keep an eye on Stanley and make sure that wound of his doesn’t get any worse.” Ford watched from their bed as his boyfriend left the room before he let himself drift to sleep.


	4. History

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stanford and Stanley get a history lesson.

Two weeks. That was how long it took for the gash in Stan’s back to heal enough so he could get up and walk around without fear of it opening. Two weeks of Ford worrying. It shouldn’t have taken that long. And when Ford tried to ask exactly what happened to cause it, Stan would avoid the subject. Two weeks of Stan being unusually distant. The thought of Stan not talking to him about this drove Ford insane. But he had to accept that Stan just wanted to forget it even happened. Ford had work to do, anyway.

He and Fiddleford were preparing to head out and inspect all the cave writing, to make an attempt at piecing together what exactly happened to this place before the town was here. Fiddleford set one of the guns that Ford had insisted they bring in his bag, looking unsure about this. “Ford, I don’t know if we should go snooping around like this. What if something worse happens?” Ford finished packing his bag and sighed, looking at the ground. “Are you worried about going to the ruins by yourself, Fidds?” Fiddleford shook his head, looking more worried. “I’m worried about you going back to those caverns on  _your_  own. What if Stanley moving the talisman caused something to happen in there? What if Bill is just waiting for you…?” Ford took his love’s hand and gave a soft, reassuring smile. “Fiddleford… I promise, nothing is going to happen to me. You’re not going to lose me.”

Stan walked into the room as Ford slung his bag over his shoulder, and looked up at him. Stan had been so worried over the past two weeks that his brother would leave without him again. It seemed whenever  he left, something horrible happened. And Stan didn’t want to be here without him. Mabel was at Candy’s, and Dipper was out with Wendy and the rest of her friends. Stan would be completely alone. “You’re leaving?” His voice came out soft and timid, as it had been since the incident in the cave. He was terrified of being alone. The things Bill had said to him made him feel even smaller. “What about me…?” Fiddleford awkwardly slid his bag onto his shoulder as Ford looked for a response, rubbing the back of his neck. “Umm… well, the thing is, Lee… I don’t want you getting hurt. After last time, I couldn’t bring you with a good conscience. Please understand.” Stan’s expression turned from slightly frightened to offended. “What, you think that I can’t take care of myself?” Ford sighed and knelt down to his brother’s level, a mixed look of frustration and worry on his face. “Listen, you want to go with? You’re sitting outside. I need you to run and get help if there’s a cave in and I get stuck in there…. okay?” Stan’s glare softened and he nodded. He was being given a task befitting of a child, but that’s what he was now.

Ford gave him a hug before making his way beyond the bushes, leaving Stan to sit outside. He plopped onto a log and sighed, wondering why this had to happen to them. It seemed like hours were passing as he sat there, occasionally shifting his position. Then, he heard something from the trees nearby. Jumping up, he watched as a young girl in a hooded cloak burst from the brush, sliding before whipping out an arrow and drawing it. She didn’t get to fire before the creature she’d been fighting charged and smacked her with its claws. The small figure is sent flying, landing beside Stan and hitting her head hard on the log he’d been siting on. He looks up at the menacing monster, trembling. He recognized it from Ford’s journals as the “Gremoblin”. Looking around for anything he could do, he saw a branch on the ground, the end of it completely covered in a caterpillar nest. Stan grabs it, pulling a lighter from his pocket and setting the end ablaze. “Get away from her!” he yells, waving the torch in the beast’s face. It lets out a roar before getting hit with the flaming stick and running off. Stan, breathing heavy, drops the torch he’d made and stomps out the flames before turning his attention to the girl he’d just saved. Pulling her hood down, he revealed her pointed ears and long blonde hair, the back half of which was tied up in a ponytail.

Ford came out of the cave in a rush, having heard the monster’s roar. He’s greeted by Stan flashing him a fearful and worried look, before looking down at the girl that Stan held. Her tunic had been torn, but the claws had luckily not touched her skin. “What happened? I heard a gremoblin’s roar.” Stan, adrenaline rushing throughout his body, tried to compose himself. “She was trying to fire an arrow at it when it smacked her and sent her flying at me. I-I had to do something… at least we have less tent caterpillars to worry about.” Ford sighed and looked her over, relief flooding him. He looked to Stan, not noticing her open one eye to glare at him. “Anyway, I got the information I needed in the caverns. Let’s take her back to the house to keep her out of harms way-” The girl laying between them jumped up and rolled, grabbing her bow off the ground and notching an arrow, pointing it directly at Ford.

_“Why were you in the forbidden chambers?!”_  Ford understood her language immediately, his years withing the portal teaching him many things. Stan looked absolutely dumbfounded and scared for his brother. Ford did some translating in his head before replying.  _“Can you speak English? It would be much easier for me, since my brother can’t understand a thing we’re saying right now.”_  She lowered her bow, nodding suspiciously.

“First of all, my brother just saved your life, so I’d appreciate if you didn’t startle him by pointing weapons at me.” At that bit of information, the Elven girl blushed and bowed her head in apology to Stan. “I apologize. I’ve spent almost my entire life locked in combat.” He awkwardly waved it off, a shy smile on his face. “Please, it’s fine. You were in danger and I acted.” Ford cleared his throat, eyes shifting around. “I… I don’t trust being out here. We should go talk inside. Please, come rest at our home. I’m sure we have many questions for each other.” The girl just nodded, slinging her bow over her shoulder and walking with them.

“So… you’re an elf,” Ford commented, setting a cup of tea in front of their guest, “I thought the elves left this area after the Elven-Gnomish war of 1845.” Having been sipping her tea, she set the cup down and sighed. “I’m from one of the small colonies that stayed. We stay isolated so the gnomes don’t run us out.” She turns her eyes up to Ford, who was sitting across the table with his brother. “Now, I ask again. Why were you in the forbidden chambers?” It was at this point that Ford noticed the golden, triangular clasp on her cloak. Something wasn’t sitting well with him. “I was gathering information. The cave paintings were depicting some horrible incident, and they were the same style as the ones I found in a different cave.” The girl, letting her cup clink roughly against the table, growled and stood, slamming her hainds down as she did. “And even though the spot is also clearly a sacred place, you think you can just waltz in and disrupt the obvious seal? What gives you the right?” Ford was about to make a comment back before Stan butt in, trying to derail the conversation.

“So, what’s your name? I’m Stan, and this is my brother, Ford.” He finished his question with a voice crack and an awkward smile, clearly nervous. The girl sent him a glare, causing him to shrink back a bit before Ford continued. “Okay, listen, I know it wasn’t the smartest idea. But I needed the information so that I could try to find a way to stop the demon that almost destroyed the world last summer.” Hearing that piece of information, she slowly seated herself. “What do you know of Lord Cipher?” Hearing her call him that confirmed his suspicions. “I summoned him like an idiot thirty years ago. He told me he was a muse, and built my trust up, before using my research and brains against me.” He watched her face of curiosity, sighing. “He had me build a portal to his realm. And when I finally dismantled it, it left a rift. He used that to do what he did a year ago. We were able to seal him back, but every day, he gains strength. And we need to find a way to get rid of him permanently.”

The girl nodded with a hum. “You were thinking a look at the past would help.” Ford nodded, watching as she hopped out of her seat and began to pace. “Those paintings were left by my people millenia ago, before your recorded history. Our founder was able to settle here due to a deal he made with Lord Cipher. My ancestors worshiped him. We’d finally found home. Lord Cipher would come to them through a medium and talk to them. He would guide them. And they foolishly believed him then, and they still do now.” Ford and Stan watched her expression grow dark, but stayed silent as she continued. “Weirdmaggedon happened once before, about a thousand years ago. The forbidden chambers, considered a place of worship, had been carved into a material that acted as a natural portal. And he busted his way through.”

Ford stood and walked over to her, interested. “Why do they still worship-” “Because they’re a bunch of idiots!” She turned and yelled it, looking exasperated. “T-They thought that being among mortals had just corrupted our Lord. So they managed to seal him away. But after that, the other creatures hated us, what with our continued worship of a false god.” She grasps the clasp on her cloak and sighs heavily. “After the war, my splintered colony stayed behind to watch over our places of worship. They didn’t want the other creatures to deface these sacred points. So they assign one protector per generation. They are assigned at birth, and trained to take over when their mentor passes or retires.” Her grip on her clasp tightened, tears in her eyes. “They see the mark, and on your fifth birthday, they teach you the history and train you with your weapon of choice. They say you’re fighting to protect your Lord and Savior, Bill Cipher. But really, I’ve fighting to protect a horrendous monster that kills without remorse for  _eight_.  _Years_.” She lets go of her clasp and turned to them, a fire in her eyes. “I went along with it, believing  the lies until history repeated itself. And as my people continued to believe that he was just corrupt by mortality, I decided that I was no longer protecting  _him_. But I was now protecting the seal that held him back.”

Ford nodded, realization flooding him. Before he could reply, Fiddleford came inside, holding his side and stumbling. “Fidds! My god, babe, what happened?!” Ford ran over and helped him stand, inspecting the claw marks. “G-Gremoblin…” Ford’s eyes widened and he scooped his boyfriend up, pushing his guest aside to get Fiddleford to the lab. He needed to act quickly, as there wasn’t much time left. Stan was left alone with the Elven girl, in a stunned silence. “Laiqualassiel,” her voice came suddenly. Stan gave a confused look to her as she put her hood back up. Noticing his confusion, she let out a laugh. “My name. It’s Laiqualassiel. If that’s too hard for you to pronounce, then just call me Ivy.” She strapped her quiver back onto her side and slung her bow back over her shoulder before walking over to him. “Listen, I have to go. My village is waiting. Thank you for saving me. It means a lot, seeing how I’m deemed an enemy to everybody just because of who my people worship.” She gave his cheek a quick kiss before running out the open door.

Stan sat there for a while, bright red and filled with mixed emotions, before he finally went down to the lab and see how his brother was handling things. Stepping out of the elevator, he peeked around to find Ford sitting on the ground beside the place where Fiddleford lay, hooked up to machines flushing the neurotoxin out of his system. Ford’s face held a broken expression, and hat worried Stan. He went over and sat beside him, leaning against his arm. “He may not make it… because I had him go alone.” Stan looked up at him, seeing the pain and guilt in his face. “Stan… I might lose him… and it would be my fault.” Stan watched as his brother began to break down crying. An ugly cry, messy and gross. His sobs were loud and seemed to choke him. Stan just crawled into Ford’s arm’s and hugged him, trying to comfort him. “He promised he wouldn’t leave me….”


	5. Danger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stanley goes on a quest.

Stan and Ford had fallen asleep holding each other, tears staining their faces. It had been a few hours of just their light snoring when Stan was awaken by his brother’s sudden standing. He fell to the floor with a thud and watched, groggy, as Ford ran to Fiddleford’s side. Fiddleford was groaning and sitting up, holding his head as Ford unhooked him. “Fidds, thank God. I thought I was going to lose you…” He hugged Fiddleford tightly, relief flooding him. “I was so scared… I’ll never have you go somewhere like that alone again. I promise, we’ll do it together from now on.” Fiddleford pushed him away, a soft smile on his face. “Stanford, I promised, didn’t I? I’m never leaving your side again.” Stan watched the two of them, so comfortable with each other that they could face death and come back stronger than ever. He realized that he was feeling envious of Fiddleford, being able to have such a close bond with  _his_  brother. Stan stood and brushed himself off before clearing his throat and getting their attention. “Well, you two have a lot of things to talk about… I’ll just be… you know. Upstairs.” As he began to walk away, Ford placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Lee, wait…” He sighed and hugged him tightly. “Thanks for staying down here with me… I really needed it.” Stan let out a snort and hugged back. “It’s nothing… to be honest, I was scared for you. I’ll always be here for you if you promise the same.” Ford smiled and gave a nod before setting Stan down and pushing him along. “Alright, go on. Fidds and I have some business to attend to.” Stan gave him a playful glance before rolling his eyes and heading up. He looked at the clock, noting how late it was. Midnight. He let out a yawn before heading to bed and just passing out.

_“Stan… Stan, get up.” Stanley opened his eyes, revealing a clearing. He sat up and looked around, confused beyond belief. Then he saw her. “Ivy?” She walked over from the tree line and sat beside him, lowering her hood. “Stan, I don’t have much time here.” “But why are you here?” Ivy sighed and placed a hand on Stan’s shoulder, looking into his eyes. “Stanley, listen. My village knows I’m against Lord Cipher. They know my true intentions. I’m currently being held prisoner. I need your help.” Stan blinked a few times, noticing her fearful tears. “Please, Stan. They’ll kill me if I don’t get out soon.” Stan nodded, holding her hand. “How can I find you?” She pulled a slip of paper from her cloak, pressing it against his chest. “It’s marked on this map. Act quickly.”_

Stan woke with a start, noticing the map still in his hand. He jumped from his bed and ran to his brother. “Ford! Ford, I need your help!” Stanford was in his room, holding a very tired and exhausted Fiddleford. He silently pressed a finger to his lips before laying him down and leading his brother to the living room. “Stanley, what is it…? You look like you’re about to jump out of your skin.” Stanley was shaking, pulling his brother toward the door. “It’s Ivy, that girl from earlier! She’s in trouble! She needs our help!” Ford stopped him and sighed. “Stanley, I don’t trust her. If there’s anything I know about Bill, he’d have one pawn trying to work the emotional ploy.” Stan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. After the show of emotion she’d shown? He believed that she was  _working_  with that monster? The expression on his face caused Ford to sigh even more heavily before kneeling to his brother’s level. “Lee, I know you care. You’re an emotional person. It’s what you do. But sometimes, you need to use your brain over your heart.” The offended stance that Stan took had Ford attempting to correct himself. “I-I mean- I’ve also learned that you need to follow your heart over your brain sometimes, too…. and that’s what I’m doing. I can’t leave Fiddleford right now. If I do, he’d be alone and terrified, worried for my safety. He almost died for god’s sake.” Hesitantly, he places a hand on Stan’s shoulder, smiling awkwardly. “Listen, I need to go back to him. I need to rest, and you do too.”

Stan, filled with unknown emotions, made a face at Ford mentioning Fiddleford. He didn’t understand why he was so angry. He hadn’t felt like this since Ford was about to go to west coast tech. But he couldn’t stop himself. “It’s always about Fiddlestick, isn’t it? What about me? I’ve always been there for you, but the second I need something, you just blow me off. Well, if Fidds is more important to you than I am, then go!” Ford was taken aback, the expression on his face a mix of different feelings. He stood and turned around, stopping when Stan’s muttering was heard. “I should have realized you’d never change.” He felt tears begnning to well up, but choked them back as he went to his room.

Stan felt anger coursing though him as he watched Ford walk away. He sat in the chair beside him, looking at the map, lost in thought. It was about ten minutes before he heard footsteps on the stairs. Going over and looking, he saw Mabel and Dipper looking down at him. Mabel stepped down to him, sighing. “I heard what you two were talking about… Dip and I want to help.” Stan looked up the stairs to see if Ford was behind them, and he just sighed. “Let’s do this. Ivy isn’t a bad person. And if we don’t help her, she’ll die.” That alone was enough to get the other two going. They went and packed a few bags of supplies and dressed themselves to blend into the darkness. Stan walked out of the house and looked up to Ford’s darkened window. He wondered how Ford could sleep, knowing his brother was in need of help.

The map was slightly confusing, and led to the three of them getting lost. Mabel let out a groan and looked up at the stars. “Stan, are you sure you know where we are?” Stan looked at the map in his hand, searching for landmarks. It had been about an hour since they’d left. And he was sure then. But now… that was a different story. The darkness of the forest was terrifying to him, and as he looked around, he heard something that made him stop. “Guys, hide!” The three kids jumped into the bushes, and Stan noticed the voices he’d heard were speaking in that strange language that Ivy and Ford had been speaking in. Stan signaled to Mabel and Dipper to watch and listen. Two elven men walked into view, and as they passed by, Stan began to follow. As they walked in the underbrush, thy followed their unwitting guides to a small hidden village, expertly concealed. He watched the two go into different buildings and pulled the map back out. “Okay, so, we’re here… so Ivy should be in the building over there…” Dipper looked across the village to see the large tree that was hiding her, and began to doubt their ability to accomplish this.

“Stan, I don’t know. From the looks of it, the place is heavily guarded. How will we-?” Mabel pulled her grappling hook with a large smile, causing Dipper to sigh. “Yes, grappling hooks are good. I forgot you had that, to be fairly honest.” Stan smiled and rolled up the map, leading his niece and nephew to their destination. He looked at the map again and saw she was in the third room on the second floor. “Okay, Mabel, I need you to aim at that window.” Mabel took aim and fired, watching as the hook took hold. Stan looked at Dipper and gave a serious look. “Keep a lookout. If anybody sees us, we need to take off.” Dipper took to the bushes and kept an eye on the guards. Stan, clinging to his bag, took the grappling hook and went to the window. He dug until he found his burgling kit. He began to work away at the bars on the window, occasionally looking down to see his family looking out for him. Once he got a good enough opening he crawled in and went over to Ivy. “Ivy, wake up. I’m here to save you.” Her eyes opened, and upon seeing him, she attempted to stand. Stan used another tool in his kit to break her cuffs and led her to the window. “Okay, Mabel, I need- oh, no.” The guards had seen them, and he was looking diwn at the two of them being dragged. He heard the door open behind him and saw another guard looking down at the two of them. “This is bad.”

* * *

Ford had spent the night after that comment Sta  made just laying in bed and reflecting. Was he a horrible person? Why did he always mess things up? He’d only gotten a few hours of sleep before he woke at about eight. Fiddleford wasn’t in the bed, and Ford headed downstairs to see Fidds alone. “Hey, babe… what’s wrong? You look… worried.” Fiddleford took a sip of his coffee, eyes wide with fear. “The kids are missing. Nobody’s seen them.” That alone was enough to send Ford into overdrive. Stan didn’t… he wouldn’t. “Damnit, Lee.” Ford ran to his room and began to get himself ready. “Ford, what in the world are you up to?” He turned around to see Fiddleford in the doorway and relayed the events of last night. “He ran out there with Mabel and Dipper. I know it. I need to fix my mistake.” “Then let me go with you…” Ford stopped in the middle of what he was doing and spun around. “No, Fidds. You’re still recovering. You need to rest. I’m putting my foot down. You are staying out of harm’s way, and I’m going to save my brother.” Fiddleford slowly walked over to him and hugged him, sighing. “Just promise me that you’re not going to vanish. Just promise that I’m going to see you again.” Ford hugged him back and nodded, kissing his cheek. “Trust me Fidds. I’ll be okay.”

It wasn’t hard to follow their trail. And when he came upon the village, he knew exactly where they would have gone. Working around to where they’d been the night before, he looked up to see Mabel sticking her head out of the window. Upon seeing him, she turned to the group sharing the cell. “Stan, Dipper! Ivy! It’s Ford! He’s come to save us!” Stan ran to the window and saw his brother. He felt so angry but relieved at the same time. Ford pressed a finger to his lips, signaling for silence before he ran off. Climbing a nearby tree, he scooted along a branch and dipped in front of the bars. He pulled a blowtorch from his coat pocket and began to heat the metal Before long, they were red hot. “Okay, Lee, kick the bars out.” Stan nodded before drop kicking the bars, watching their heated and weakened state bend enough to break, leaving a big enough hole for the four kids in the cell to crawl out one by one.

As they all made it to the ground, they noticed a guard standing in front of them, and Ford slowly reached into his jacket and pulled out one of his many weapons. He pointed the gun at the elf in front of him and fired a beam into his arm before taking off. They bolted through the forest before Ivy tripped, twisting her ankle. Letting out a curse, she tried to stand and only fell again. Stan stopped and helped her up, supporting her as they began to run again. Arrows were flying by them, and Mabel let out a yelp as she was hit in the leg. Dipper immediately scooped his sister up and continued to run. As Ford looked back to the kids, he saw how they were getting hurt, and dropped behind them, ushering them on. The ground began to shake, and he realized how close they were to the caverns. Bill’s laughter was echoing from them, and that gave him the strength and courage to scoop up the kids and run with all four of them.

He dove into the shack, slamming the door behind him and setting all four of the children down. His breathing was heavy, and he had to just lay on the floor for a moment. He looked at Mabel who was crying, an arrow in her leg. He scooted over to her and assessed the damage. “Well, I can safely say that it missed the bone…. so removal will be easy, Dipper, go get the med kit.” Dipper ran off and returned quickly, and Ford removed the feathers from the arrow before pushing it the rest of the way through. Mabel’s cries of pain hurt him inside. If he’d just agreed to go with Stan in the first place, this wouldn’t be happening. He patched her up and had Dipper help her upstairs, listening as he whispered words of encouragement to his sister. Then, he turned to Stan, who was helping Ivy stand. She moved her ankle and sighed. “It’s okay… it’s just a bit sore.” Stan just gave her this worried smile, which faltered when Ford walked over.

“Lee, I’m sorry… I should have gone with you. I… I’m a terrible brother, I know. I try my best, but I keep screwing it all up. I don’t expect you to forgive me-” Stan just sighed and hugged him, tears falling into his brother’s coat. “Ford, I don’t give a shit. I’m just… I guess I’m jealous that Fiddleford is going to steal you away from me. I should just be happy for you. I should be proud that my brother is so happy with the person he loves. Just like I should’ve been happy that you were going to west coast tech. But I guess I’m just selfish, yaknow?” Ford sighed and hugged his brother, smiling. “It’ll be okay, Lee. I already told you I’d never leave your side again, right? I’m always here for you.”


	6. Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The shack is filled with mixed emotions.

Life had gotten a bit difficult after the rescue of the kids. Not because there was another mouth to feed, no. They had plenty to eat. It was because Stanford was having severe trust issues around the new addition to the household. There was just something about her that threw him off. Mostly how close she was getting to Stan. Ever since the rescue, the two were inseparable. As he stood in the kitchen, doing the dishes from breakfast, he looked out the window to see the two cloud gazing.

“Ford, honey, what’s wrong?” Fiddleford came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Ford’s waist, having noticed the shorter man’s discomfort. “I don’t know, Fidds. Something about her just rubs me the wrong way.” Fiddleford let out a slight laugh at that, finding it actually quite amusing. “Ford, I think you’re just being a bit too protective of Stan. I mean, look at them. Have you ever seen our brother this calm?” A thought struck Ford. “Yes…. I have.” That had been back when Stan had been head over heels for Carla. “Oh, no…. he’s in love.” He looks at the two again, and he sees that classic lovesick smile on Stan’s face.

“Ford, I think you need to get out of the house. For something other than work.” Fiddleford took the plate from Ford’s hand, gently turning him away from the window. “You’re getting to that weird paranoid state again. You just need to relax…” Ford just sighed and let his gaze hit the floor. He knew deep down that Fiddleford was right. “Yeah, I guess.” Fiddleford stepped back and gave light smile. “I was thinking we go out. Just the two of us. Maybe for a picnic?” Upon hearing the Southerner’s request, Ford just let out a light chuckle. “Yeah… a picnic sounds nice.”

Stan and Ivy just aid together, watching the clouds go by, light and fluffy. “I haven’t felt this happy in a long time,” he admitted. Ivy let out a giggle and playfully shoved him. “Oh, hush. You’re just flattering me…. I’m not that enjoyable to be around.” Her happy tone faltered slightly, which worried Stan a bit. “Yes you are… you’re smart, reliable, nice to look at…” Ivy snorted with laughter, a slight blush on her face. “Come on, now you’re just crazy. I’m not any of those things. I’m a big dork.” She looked back to the clouds with a smile.

Stan continued to watch the clouds go by until he heard the door to the shack open. He sat up to see who was coming out and saw his brother and the in-law walking hand in hand, Ford holding a basket and having that lovey-dovey look on his face. He hadn’t noticed his expression go sour until Ivy spoke. “Stanley, is everything alright?” He jumped slightly, being caught off guard. “Y-Yeah. I guess. I just. I don’t like how Fidds hogs Ford all to himself. I hardly spend time with my own brother.” Her expression was a soft smile before she stood and helped him up. “Why don’t we go spy on them, if it bothers you so much?” Stan held a blank expression, unsure of what would come of that. But then he got a brilliant idea. “Let’s sabotage their little date.”

Stanford led his boyfriend to a small clearing in the woods and began to spread out the blanket. In the bushes, unseen, were Stan and Ivy, looking at the scene. Ivy rubbed the back of her neck, a little nervous. “Stan, I don’t think this is a good idea. What if we get caught?” Stan was looking for a way to sabotage when she spoke and turned to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. It’s all my idea, and I just dragged you into it. I’ll take all the blame.” She couldn’t reply before he found his first potential weapon. “Aha, an anthill.” Ivy bit her lip and stood back as Stan began poking and prodding the hill with a stick. Ants started to pour out, and he began to guide them, watching as they began to swarm in the direction of the picnic.

“Wow, Ford. You sure know how to pick locations,” Fiddleford stated as he looked around the clearing. Ford just chuckled and looked around as well, taking in the sight of all the flowers. “Yeah, I came across this clearing a while ago… and I just thought it was a beautiful place, you know?” Fiddleford took a sandwich out of the basket and went to nibble at it. He sat there, propped on one arm. Then he felt something crawling over his hand and his head snapped in that direction to see ants beginning to swarm. Ford noticed the expression on his face and jumped up, picking the basket up and shaking the blanket off. “Holy hell! There are so many of them!” Fiddleford started to shake and smack the ants off of his hand, only for them to start biting. Noticing this, Ford sighed. “Luckily, I came prepared.” Reaching into the basket, he pulled out ointment and a spray bottle filled with peppermint extract. “Ointment for your hand… And this will drive the ants away.” Fiddleford took the ointment and applied it as Ford sprayed at the ants, watching them scatter from their spot. He set the blanket down again and sat. Fiddleford sat back down and giggled. “Gee, Ford. Is there anything you aren’t prepared for?” Ford took the praise and drank it in, practically glowing.

Stan bent the stick in his hands until it broke before throwing it aside and sighing. “That’s fine. Sure. He’s mister perfect. But will he be prepared for….” Ivy just watched with a worried expression as Stan climbed a tree and crawled out onto a branch. “… an angry mother bird?” He was looking at a nest filled with baby crows, and he smirked as he gently took one and climbed back down. He creeped up behind Ford and Fiddleford and gently set the bird in his brother’s hair before making a stealthy dash back to the underbrush.

Ford was munching on chips as he listened to Fiddleford’s crazy tales. Fidd’s story was interrupted, however, by the ear piercing sound of the baby crow nesting in Ford’s hair. Fiddleford looked at the source of the noise and started to laugh hysterically. “Ford, I think you’re a bird parent now…” Ford getly took the baby bird off his head and let out a light chuckle. “It must have fell out of its nest.” Then the angry cawing caused them both to be silent.

Stan saw the murder of crows fly in when the baby started to screech. “I forgot that crows are pretty much the humans of the bird world. Ivy, let’s go. Things are about to get ugly.” He pulled his elven companion along as the adults noticed their company. “Oh… Um, Fidds…? I think we should…” Ford set the bird down in the grass before slowly grabbing their things. There were at least a hundred crows in the trees, and all of their eyes were on him. It was unnerving. The baby let out another sound, and the birds began to flock to him. Both he and Fiddleford let out fearful screams as they began to run.

Stan and Ivy had gotten to the shack and told Dipper and Mabel what happened. “I messed up bad, guys. Who knows what Ford will look like when he walks through that door!” Almost as if on cue, the door opened to reveal Ford and Fiddleford, bickering. “How was I meant to be prepared for that?” “You’re prepared for pretty much everything else.” “Well, I’m sorry, Fidds. I wasn’t expecting a damn army of birds to attack us. Ants, yes. Dangerous creatures? Definitely prepared for that. An angry murder of crows? How was I supposed to know?” Fiddleford just heaved a heavy sigh, brushing black feathers out of his hair. “Can’t we just have a nice outing for once? Can you just… not be a magnet for disaster?” Ford looked offended before quickly turning and heading upstairs to shower and get out of his pecked up clothing.

Fiddleford immediately regretted his words and sighed again, turning to look at the kids. He awkwardly rubbed his neck and looked away. This was not good, and he knew it. “I went a little too far there. I-I should just…. I’ll be outside if anybody needs me.” Fiddleford turned and slunk outside, head hanging. All eyes turned to Stan and his nervous laughter. Mabel gave a harsh glare. Stan was undoing her work. “You’re going to fix this, Stan.” He swallowed hard before looking to the expression on Ivy’s face. It wasn’t angry. But the disappointment was clear as she quietly turned away. Dipper just looked caught in the middle of this whole mess. Stan sighed and went upstairs.

“Ford, wait!” He caught Ford coming out of the bathroom and ran up to him. Ford turned, and looked like absolute hell. “W-Were you crying…?” Ford looked away, hiding his eyes. “Stan… do you think I’m a magnet for disaster?” Stan heard the slight waver in his brother’s voice and felt something twist inside him. “Ford, everything was my fault. I was trying to sabotage your date.” It came out fast, and the second it was said, Ford’s expression went from sad to confused and angry. “You what?” Stan took a step back, his small stature playing against his courage. “I-I… I was feeling jealous again. I saw you and Fiddleford heading out, and I just-” Ford turned to him and looked absolutely livid. “If you weren’t a child, I fucking punch you in the throat. I finally have my  _one_  relationship rekindled, and now you’ve come and put a knife in it.” Stan hung his head and sighed. “I know, I’m horrible. I just ruin everything.” The memories from all those years ago begin to resurface and he can’t help a tear slipping out. Ford sees that and sighs before kneeling down placing a hand on Stan’s shoulder. “I’m very, very disappointed in you… but I guess I also brought this upon myself for not paying enough attention to you. Come on, lets’s go fix this. Where’d Fiddleford go?”

Fiddleford’s scream rang from outside, and Ford instantly stood and bolted. He flew out that front door to find his lover cowering in fear. Standing over him were a group of elves. Ivy was peeking out from behind Ford, and she let a curse slip from her mouth before ducking back inside. “This is bad,” she muttered to Stan. Before she could continue her thought, the clasp on her cloak began to glow and pull her toward the door. She let out a small yelp as it did, fear enveloping her. “I think they finally broke the seal… Lord Cipher is coming for us…”

Fiddleford inched backwards, trembling as he saw that familiar rip appear in the sky. Hearing Bill’s iconic laughter caused him to jump up and flee into the safety of Ford’s arms. Ford slammed the door shut and began to board up the windows. The ground was shaking, and Bill’s voice rang clear as day. “You thought you could stop me, Pines family. You thought you could just seal me away. But now I’m here for vengeance. This is your judgment day!” The household huddled together, all shaking. The door flew open and in floats Bill, leaning on his cane. “And as for you, Laiqualassiel, protector of the seal… Going against me pays a pretty hefty price.” Stan stood in front of her, taking a protective stance. “Don’t you touch her, you triangular bastard!” Ivy swallowed hard and hid within the people surrounding her. She may be combat trained, but she was still just a kid. And this was terrifying.

Bill let out a loud chuckle, wiping a tear from his eye. “Oh, kid, you’re killing me. I have to say, though, that fountain did wonders for you. You look so young, Stanley!” Stan growled and, despite the fear coursing through him, he took a step forward. As much as he wanted to hide, he wasn’t going to let his child instincts take over. He was Stanley Pines, and he was going to protect his family. Bill saw his brave stance and stopped his laughing. “Wow, Stan. You sure are defiant, arent you. But you’re also weaker, so MOVE!” Bill waved his hand and flung Stan against the wall, causing him to smack his head against the wood. Ford called out for him and started to stand. “Don’t move, Sixer! Or more of your family will get hurt.” He stopped and went back to his position, holding Fiddleford’s shaking form. Dipper and Mabel held each other, Mabel holding back her fear filled tears, and Ivy just sat between them all, looking up at the demon she once worshiped.

Stan’s daze faded in time to see Ivy being lifted by the clasp on her cloak, and to see her kicking and struggling to get away. “I’ll just deal out your punishment now.” Bill began to charge a ball of energy, and upon seeing what was about to happen, Stan jumped up and ran forward. Time for everybody seemed to slow as Stan ran to stop Bill from killing her. He was halfway across the room when the beam fired, and instead of getting to Ivy, he arrived to a pile of particles. Bill watched as Stan sat there and had silent tears falling from his eyes. And Bill started laughing. “You aren’t worth my time. I just came to vaporize the traitor. You won’t stop me this time. So have fun making a new life in the apocalypse.”


	7. Depression

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stan feels the sting of loss.

Drastic measures had been taken to protect the shack in the following days. Things were very silent as the days went on, and Ford had noticed Stan’s mood quickly declining with every second. While the others were working, he pulled his brother aside and knelt to be at his level. “Lee, I know that you’re going through a lot right now-” “I loved her, Ford. There was something about her that just drew me in. And I fell deep. And despite how much I wanted to, I couldn’t save her.” Tears that had been held back were falling now, dropping from his cheek and hitting the ground. “I loved her, and I couldn’t even protect her.” Ford wrapped his arms around Stan and let him cry into his shoulder. “We’ll get back at Bill. I promise, Stanley. That fucking triangle won’t get away with hurting you like this.” He felt Stan’s hands clench into fists, clutching his jacket as he started to cry harder. Seeing Stanley like this, of all people, made him so angry. What gave Bill the right?

“Just go get some rest, Lee. You really need it.” Fiddleford overheard the tail end of the conversation as Ford sent his brother to bed. “Stanford. How is he doing?” He walked up to Ford and took his hand. None of them had slept very well since Bill returned, and the wear was beginning to show. Ford just sighed and shook his head. “Not good. I’ve never seen him like this. Even when I went through the portal, he used getting me back as motivation. But now… there is no motivation to get passed this. Just pain.” Fiddleford looked down the hallway after Stan and a sad and tired look came over his face. “Ford… what are we going to do?” “I don’t know, Fidds… until we can figure the answer out, we need to just keep going.”

The next morning, breakfast was silent as everybody ate what little they had left. They’d need to get food soon. Ford looked over at Stan, who was barely poking his food with his fork. “Not hungry, Stan?” Ford asked, feigning a smile. Stan just shook his head and continued to poke at his plate. Worry clouded Ford’s mind as he saw how miserable Stan was. This wasn’t good for anybody. “Fidds, a word.” He brought Fiddleford away from the table, out of earshot. “I have a very important task of you.” Fiddleford gave a worried expression, but stayed silent. “I need to go to the UFO for supplies. Please, while I’m gone… keep a very close eye on Stan. I’m scared for him right now.” Fiddleford played with his shirt sleeve, looking uneasy. “What if you don’t come back…? How would I tell him that he lost his brother, too?” Ford saw the sadness in his eyes as he asked that, and hugged him tightly. “I can’t promise that I will come back. But I can say that I’ll go out fighting if it comes to that. If I get myself killed, I need you to tell Stanley to be brave for me… and I need you to be brave as well.”

Ford left the safety of the shack, which had effectively been turned into a bomb shelter. With an empty bag on his back and a gun on his hip, he trudged into the woods, once again plagued by Bill’s weirdness. He had an idea of how to get rid of Bill. But he needed the parts to build it. Most of them were in the lab, in the remnants of the portal that had started all of this. But there were a few things that he needed from that spaceship. Jumping at every snap of a twig, the journey was slow going. He had to hide a few times, almost getting caught by Bill’s minions. But he didn’t actually have to use his weapon. Eventually, he came to the hill and made a mad dash for the opening. He didn’t want to be in the open for too long. He managed to open the hatch and start climbing down without being seen.

Fiddleford was cleaning, attempting to distract himself from the gnawing worry in his gut. He noticed Stan come into the kitchen and was surprised when he hugged him. “S-Stanley, what is it…?” There was a light sniffle before Stanley responded with a shaking voice, “Every time Ford leaves, something bad happens. He’s not here, and I’m scared.” Fiddleford gave a soft smile before picking Stan up. “Listen, Stanley… your brother is trying his very best. And he has an idea that he’s been working on to reverse all of this. Just have faith in him.” Stan nodded, tears in his eyes. Fiddleford thought for a moment before smiling. “Hey, you wanna know something? You’re all he talks to me about.” That comment got Stan smiling slightly. “R-Really?” “Really. He’s so proud of how you’re handling all of this, and he tells me all of these stories of your youth together. How you two wanted to build a boat and travel the world, looking for treasure. And even before all of this, back when I first met him. You were always on his mind. He truly loves you, Stanley. Regardless of all you two have gone through, all he does is for you. He may not be the best at being your brother, but one can see how hard he tries.” Hearing all of that made Stanley smile even wider. He needed to hear that.

They heard the front door quickly open and then close and went to investigate. Ford had his back pressed against the door, looking beat to hell and taking long, heaving breaths. “I almost… got caught… by a group… of those crazy elves.” He slid to the ground and pulled out the parts he’d gathered. “I didn’t have to shoot any of them, thank god. But they did get me pretty good.” Upon closer inspection, Ford was covered in many cuts and bruises, and he was bleeding pretty badly from the leg where he’d been nicked by an arrow. Fiddleford set Stanley down and sighed, leaving and returning with the first aid kit. “It could be worse. You could be dead.” Ford chuckled at his comment before wincing at the sudden sting of disinfectant. “You’re damn right. Now, after this, we have some work to do. We need to go back down there and rebuild that portal.” Fiddleford just stopped and gave him a befuddled look. “Ford, are you  _crazy_?”

“No, I’m probably the smartest man alive. This,” Ford held up a bulky part that took up a majority of the space in his bag, “is the main component of the UFO’s engine. This is what propelled that beast through space. If we rebuild the portal with this baby in the base, it should create a one way vacuum back into Bills dimension.” Fiddleford continued to treat Ford’s wounds, uncertainty clear on his face. “But… what if it doesn’t work? What if it just makes things worse?” Ford scoffed at Fiddleford’s words before smiling. “Trust me. It will work. I’ve already done all of the calculations. The only hard part will be luring Bill. We need to bait him somehow, to get him into the basement and through the portal.”

Stan was silent for a moment or two before he stepped forward. “I’ll do it, Sixer.” Ford took a moment to take that in and process it before looking scared. “No, absolutely not. You are not going anywhere near that monstrosity. And leading him to the portal will be dangerous. I don’t want you getting sucked through. This is going to be  _literally a giant vacuum_ , Lee.”

Fiddleford looked between the brothers before giving a nervous smile. “Stanley, darling, please let your brother and I speak alone for a moment.” Stan nodded, looking dejected, and slunk out of the room. Once alone, Fiddleford gave his boyfriend a harsh glare. “Stanford, you want Stanley to be happy, right?” “Well, yes, but-” “Then let him help. Causing diversions and getting people angry is one of the things he’s always been good at. Leading that damn geometric asshole here is the best thing he can do. Plus, after what happened to his little girlfriend, I think he deserves to be the hero here.” Ford sighed and looked toward the door where Stan had left. Fiddleford was right, but he couldn’t bear the possibility of losing his brother in the process. He stayed silent for a long while, formulating what he wanted to say.

“If something happened to him, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. It would be over.”

Fiddleford stopped mid wrap of the bandage. “W-what do you mean, Stanford?” Ford gave an aggravated sigh, clearly frustrated with everybody’s views on what was morally right. “I mean, Fiddleford, that I’d probably just kill myself if I lost Stanley! I have been the  _worst_  brother to him. I resented him for forty years. I let Dad kick him out without a fight. I didn’t even thank him for saving my ass. I’ve finally started to rekindle our relationship… and I don’t want to lose him.” Tears were streaming down his face and his voice dropped to a whisper. “If he goes through that portal… there’s no bringing him back. It’s a one way ticket.” Fiddleford went to rest a hand on Ford’s shoulder, only for his lover to flinch away from the touch.

“I missed having a brother. I don’t want to lose him again.”

Fiddleford, in a frenzy of mixed emotion, flung his hand out and let his open palm strike Ford across the face. Ford’s glasses went sliding on the floor, and he blinked a couple times in confusion before looking at the man kneeling beside him. “Stanford, I know you mean well, I truly, honestly understand that. But everything has always been about your needs or your concerns. It’s always been about what you think. And I’m not going to hear another word of it.” Ford looked at the unreadable expression on Fiddleford’s face and stammered. “Stanford Filbrik Pines, for once in your life, think about how other people feel, and just go with it. Stop trying to be a hero. You aren’t one. You are a damsel in distress.” He was met with silence. Complete awestruck silence. Ford’s mouth had dropped open. Had Fidds been open and blunt before? Yes. Had he slapped Ford before? Yes. But this was different. This was raw emotion. This was… actual frustration? Not the petty kind, like Ford had miscalculated something, or was just generally being an idiot. Fiddleford was fed up with Ford’s bullshit, and he was showing that now.

“F-Fiddleford…” “I don’t want to hear it.” Fiddleford finished bandaging Ford’s wounds and stood. “If I were in Stan’s shoes, and I’d lost you… I’d be wanting to do the same. The question is if you’d actually be willing to risk everything for me.” With that, Fiddleford went upstairs to let Ford think over what had just been said. And he did. He sat against the door for a full hour, mulling things over. And, like usual, he found that Ford was right. In trying to be selfless and caring, Ford had actually still been manipulative and selfish. But what could be morally right about letting a child do something so dangerous? Ford just sighed and knew that Fiddleford would be angry with him if he didn’t go tell Stan that he could help with this. Setting the bag of parts to the side, Ford stood and limped to Stan’s room.

Stan laid in bed, looking at the clasp that had once been on Ivy’s cloak. It was the only thing that wasn’t vaporized, and it was like a symbol for her now. He sat up and felt a tear slip down his cheek before he brought the hunk of gold to his lips, gently pressing them against it. He hadn’t gotten to tell her. He hadn’t worked up the courage. And now he never would. There was a gentle knock and Stan’s head snapped up to see Ford in the doorway. “Lee, we really need to talk.” Stan let his gaze fall back to the clasp as Ford walked over and sat on the edge of his bed. “Lee, I know you want to help, and I understand why. I’m not comfortable with it at all. I don’t want to lose you again. I just got you back. But… I’m letting you help us.” Stan’s head snapped up, eyes wide with confusion. He hadn’t expected this turn of events at all. “As uncomfortable and  _scared_ I am of losing you… You’re the one who should be leading Bill into our little trap. But we are going to actually come up with a plan and safety precautions. And you are going to follow them to make sure that you don’t just get sucked in with Bill. Because if you go in, I won’t be able to get you back out.” Stan nodded, a smile on his face. Ford was trusting him with this. He wasn’t going to fuck up. “Ford… thank you. You trusting me with this means a lot.” Ford just smiled at his brother and hugged him tight. “I know, you knucklehead. I know.”


	8. Bittersweet Emotion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to fight back.

The kids had been banned from going into the lab while Ford and Fiddleford were rebuilding the portal. Without the knowledge that Bill had given him before, the process was very difficult and unstable. The closer they were to finishing, the more things seemed to go wrong. Stan, Dipper, and Mabel were discussing safety measures in the meantime. It seemed like things were starting to come together on their end. Dipper had drawn out a diagram of the house, and marking all the locations that would need to be manned. They figured how to keep everybody protected. Everybody but Stan. He’d need to lead Bill to the portal itself, and there really wasn’t much he could do besides hold onto the shut off switch.

Dipper let out a groan and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes. This was impossible. He was interrupted from his thoughts by the sudden feeling of the ground shaking and the muffled sound of an explosion. It was only a few moments before Ford and Fiddleford came up, coughing and followed by a plume of smoke. “Well  that happened,” Ford sighed, running his fingers through his hair. Fiddleford just groaned, licking his finger and pinching out a small flame on the end of his hair. “Ford, this is impossible. How close are we?” Ford just gave an unreadable expression before running back to the elevator. They’d been working nonstop for a week, taking power naps. And their work showed when Ford came back up with one long, hyped up cheer. “It’s done! We just need to stick the engine component in and close up the panel!! Come on!” In his excitement, he pulled Fiddleford probably a bit too hard, and the kids followed.

Once in the lab again, Ford slid the part into place, stepping back to let Fiddleford mess with the wiring and seal it up. “Okay, everybody, into the safety room.” Ford ushered the others behind the glass and left a dummy at the edge of the room before going in and starting the portal up. And at first nothing happened. It was just an empty hunk of metal. But then it was a very sudden shaking. Sparks began to form at the center of the circle, and the portal opened. The dummy that had been left in there went flying into the blue abyss. Ford’s eyes lit up. He was able to do this. But then the light left them as he knew what was to happen next. A very serious calm came over him as he turned to Stanley. It was time.

The whole family stood at the front door as Ford took extra care to make sure Stan was fit for going to Bill’s castle. “Now, you’re sure you want to go on your own? It’s dangerous out there by yourself.” Stan shook his head, a determined fire in his eyes. “You and Fidds need to stay with the portal, and I don’t want Mabel and Dipper to risk themselves for me. This is something I need to do alone, Ford.” Ford took a deep breath and hugged his brother tightly. “Be safe, Lee.” Stan hugged back, a small smile on his face. “I’ll be fine. Trust me.” Stan turned and took a deep breath, leaving the safety of his home and running in the direction of the pyramid looming over their little town.

Running through the streets, Stan noticed the inhabitants of the town poking their heads out to see him. He was making a mad dash, adrenaline pumping through his veins. The only thing in his mind were thoughts of Ivy. Her laugh, her smile, the shine of her bright blue eyes. He wasn’t going to let Bill get away with taking her. He stopped and turned, skidding before running down another empty street. He stopped and looked up at the pyramid floating above him. Heaving from his running, he gathered his courage and cupped hi hands around his mouth. “BILL CIPHER!! GET OUT HERE AND FACE ME.”  A circular opening formed and Bill floated down to him, looking only slightly peeved.

“Well, well, well… if it isn’t Stanley. What? Are you still mad about the elf?” His voice mentioned Ivy with such disdain that it made Stan angry. “She has. A name.” Bill seemed to ponder for a moment before laughing. “I can’t seem to recall it. She was a pretty boring being, to be fairly honest.” Stan’s expression became filled with rage as he picked up a rock. “Her name… is LAIQUALASSIEL!” The boy hurled the rock through the air, hitting an unsuspecting Bill right in the eye. “Oh! You little-!!” Stan’s rage faded into fear as he saw Bill turn red and grow slightly. He bolted, breathing heavy. He took shortcuts, attempting to get back to the shack. Looking back, Bill was flying after and closing in. Stan looked back to his front, quickly sliding under a broken fence and continuing to run. He heard Bill bust through it and continued to run, his fear causing him to let out a few tears. His spirits rose as he saw the shack ahead of him, and he gained a burst of speed. He ran into the door and kicked one of the moonstones holding the barrier, allowing Bill to follow, before hopping into the elevator and hitting the down button as quickly as possible.

Stan burst into the lab, so winded that he was struggling to breathe. He leaned against a wall to steady himself, but kicked himself back into gear as he heard the walls upstairs be busted through. He looked to Ford, who was at the control panel, and nodded. He ran into the portal room and latched onto the shut off switch, watching as Bill came in and flew by everybody, glaring at Stan. “YOU HAVE NOWHERE TO RUN NOW, YOU LITTLE CRETIN. ANY LAST WORDS BEFORE YOU JOIN THAT PESKY LEAF?” Stan smirked a bit before giving Bill a glare. “Have a nice flight.” Ford started the portal and watched at it started to pull Bill in. The demon’s eye widened as he was sucked toward the portal. Stan held tightly to the kill switch as Bill flew past him. But he didn’t go in. In his flailing, he got himself stuck on the edge of the ortal, attempting to not slide into it. “Okay, kid! I may have been a little cocky. Listen, if you shut this thing off, I’ll do something for you!” Bill’s voice was pleading, but Stan scoffed. “No! I will NEVER make a deal with you! After everything that’s happened? You think I’d let you sit here and continue everything?” Bill’s eye darted around the room as he tried to think. “I’ll bring Ivy back.”

Hearing that, Stan’s expression went blank. Everything inside of him said no, don’t trust it. But his heart started to hurt at the thought of passing up this opportunity. Ford saw the uncertainty forming on Stan’s face, and worry came over his. “Stan, don’t do it… just hold on…” Fiddleford came to stand beside him and took his hand. Ford squeezed hard, biting his lip. “You can do this, Stanley…” Mabel and Dipper watched, fear and anticipation plaguing them. Stan stared at the button that would shut off the portal. Ivy wouldn’t be happy if she came back to him being so weak willed. “No. She wouldn’t want me to let you stay.” He needed to get Bill to let go. But he had nothing to throw. Except… He looked down at his shirt, and his eyes fell to her clasp. He’d decided to wear it to give himself strength. But now he needed it. He unclipped it from his shirt and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. But I need you to do this for me.”

He gripped it tightly and pressed a gentle kiss to the hunk of gold before hurling it at Bill. It hit it’s mark, and Bill let his hands go to his eye, yelling obscenities as he slowly slid to the circle. The clasp had bounced off and been sucked in, causing Stan emotional pain at the fact that he’d sacrificed the last thing he had of Ivy. Bill noticed that he was sliding and tried desperately to grip something, only for him to scream when he went in. Things began to shake, and the portal seemed to go into overdrive, the vacuum becoming stronger. Stan struggled to stay on the lever as he reached up. He managed to fight the strength of the suction and slam his hand onto the button, and the force pulling at him suddenly stopped. He fell to the ground, exhausted and filled with sadness, and he just laid there, not wanting to move. Even when everybody ran in and Ford turned him over and held him, Stan just blinked out the silent tears that he’d held inside.

“Lee, you did it! Y-You…. are you okay…?” The fire that had been in Stan’s eyes was gone now. He didn’t hear his brother’s words. He blocked out everything to just be alone with his thoughts. He gave up being with Ivy to save the world a second time. His heart sank at that thought. He knew it was selfish to think about it. But he wondered what would’ve happened if he’d taken the deal.  Things came back into focus as Ford shook him slightly. “Stanley, are you okay?” Stan shook his head and sat up, just sitting on the ground and avoiding eye contact. There was an empty feeling inside of him, and he felt his entire being just crumbling. “I… I need to be alone.”

Fiddleford led the family out of the lab and up to the main floor, letting Stan sit and sort out his emotions. Upon seeing the damage caused to his house, Ford just sighed. “Well… it’s over, but look at this! How am I meant to-?” Fiddleford just placed a hand on Ford’s mouth and shushed him, a smile on his face. “It’ll be fine. Right now, we should try to clean this up. I mean… all he did was bust a hole in the wall… it won’t take that much to patch it up.” Ford just sighed and looked down. “To be honest, I don’t care about the house. You saw how Stan looked. All of you saw that look of emptiness… I kind of didn’t want to leave him alone down there.” Dipper bit his lip as he remembered something. “Ford, maybe you have a reason to be scared.” Everybody turned to him before he sighed. “Last summer, shortly before you came back, I was digging for something in Stan’s room and found a noose. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, as he kept a lot of weird items… but now, I’m starting to think we should keep a closer eye on him.” Ford’s expression turned even more grim as he ran back down to the lab.

Stan was just standing with his head against the portal. Hearing his brother’s footsteps, he turned and hugged Ford tightly. “I was just having really intrusive thoughts. Ford, I don’t know what’s wrong with my head.” Ford just knelt down and pulled his brother into a loving embrace. “Nothing’s wrong with you, Lee. Right now, you’re a kid who’s lived through too much for your mind to handle. You’ve been to hell and back.” Stan let small sobs break though as his brother held him close. This emptiness hurt. And there was nothing he could do to stop it. Ford just sighed and held him tighter. “Stan, it’s okay. I’m here for you. Nothing’s going to hurt you anymore, I promise. You’ll get through your loss.” Stanley’s crying became louder, as much as he didn’t want it to. The fact that his childhood emotions were playing against his adult mindset was frustrating. He couldn’t hide it like he used to. At least when Ivy was there, he felt a little brighter. But now she was gone, and the loneliness he felt reminded him that he was just a kid again, and couldn’t handle something this tragic.

Who knew that being a kid again would be so hard?


End file.
